The Change of His life!
by LittleMewLugia
Summary: Sequel to Sacrifice of a Lugia. Ash travels to Shamouti Island after hids mother told him Tobias's explanation of just why he can Aeroblast, where a mysterious other waits to provide the ultimate proof....
1. Chapter 1

The Change Of His Life!

A sequel to "My Son, the Lugia."

Synopsis: Ash Ketchum goes to Shamouti Island to answer questions raised by the events in "My Son, The Lugia," and gets more proof than he ever expected!

Chapter One 

The Search for Answers.

Male Ash had closed the Pallet Town gym, and decided that he and his family needed a six-week holiday on Shamouti. It was good timing, for the two-week Legend festival fell smack-bang in the middle of the six weeks. Male Ash had another agenda, however, that he had confided to his wife.

Earlier that summer, he had been engaged in an argument with Gary Oak, and Gary Oak had pushed Ash too far. Ash had felt enraged. He had been about to call him some choice names, storm over and wipe the smug grin off his face with a well-placed right hook. He didn't care that his mother was in the back door entrance and would see the whole thing. However, when he'd opened his mouth to utter some of the aforementioned choice names, an Aeroblast had shot out and hit Gary Oak square in the chest. No-one was more shocked then Ash (except perhaps Gary) but oddly enough, Gary had avoided him ever since.

His mother had contacted the island, and then informed Ash that somehow-and she couldn't remember how herself-Lugia was Ash's father. Ash was finding it very difficult to believe. Ash had decided to go to the island, confront Tobias, (and even Lugia if it came to that) and find out how, why, and even if it was true-although he couldn't imagine how else he had produced an Aeroblast. On the other hand, neither could he imagine just how Lugia had turned out to be his father. Just the thought of Lugia and his mother…..together….. made him squirm.

The ferry made land in Shamouti, and the three Ashes got off. The owner of the guesthouse they were staying at, Mrs Farraday, was waiting for them, and walked back with them to the guesthouse and showed them their rooms.

"Tobias has said that he wants you to come and see him at eleven tonight." Mrs Farraday said. "He said he will talk to you about it, and if he can't convince you, he can contact somebody who can. And Ash, you've got to go alone."

Male Ash had no problems with this. It had been difficult enough to confide in his wife about what his mother had told him.

Baby Ash and Female Ash went off to swim in the lagoon during the day, and Male Ash spent the time preparing the questions he wished to ask Tobias and this mysterious "other" if need be. Time flew, and at eleven that night, Male Ash was being ushered into Tobias' and Adele's home, given the comfiest seat in the place, and offered a drink. Ash shook his head, waving away the glass Adele was offering.

"No, that stuff you brew will addle my brain. I want a clear head tonight." he said.

"This is just fruit juice. We know you don't want to drink tonight, particularly not if we need to take you to the only one who can provide irrefutable proof of what we say." Tobias said.

"So why, and how?" Ash asked.

"Well, for the Chosen One to be the one in whose hands the spheres will glow, he must be special. He must have the blood of royalty, the King of the Sea, the Guardian of the Oceans, running in his veins. Of course, the children, grandchildren and great grandchildren will all have enough of it, even if it dilutes over time, but at some point, the bloodline will become too thin, and must be refreshed. Your mother happened to be visiting Shamouti Island at the time, and I have kept the records of the Chosen Ones and their descendants for more than forty years now. I noticed that your mother had a "look" about her, and checked the records, and sure enough, there she was."

"A "look?" What do you mean?" asked Ash.

"Not everyone can see one of the "Sea-Touched", as we call them." Tobias said. "I could, and that is why I was made record-keeper. It's something about their eyes. Anyway, when she walked out of our house in the might under a trance, I knew what was happening. She was the great-great-great-granddaughter of one of the earlier Chosen Ones-one who was never called upon to perform that duty-and it was time for the bloodline to be refreshed."

"A trance? Is that why Mum can't remember?" asked Ash. Tobias nodded.

"Some people are pretty squeamish on the subject of Pokemon-human relations of that sort." Tobias said. "Lugia feels it is better that those he calls have no memory of the event. It's usually a closely-guarded secret known to just a few of us Islanders, but we had to tell your mother after your little-dispute-with your neighbour."

"I want to see these charts!" Ash said. Tobias nodded, and Adele went upstairs.

"You say you can see something about the eyes of the…Sea-Touched?" asked Ash. Tobias nodded.

"Yes." He said.

"Is that why you picked me out on the beach that day in 2000?" Ash asked. Tobias nodded again.

"I knew you had to be the Guardian's son. It was obvious in your eyes, the intensity of your gaze." He looked at Ash closely. "There's even something of him in the set of your mouth."

"Great, I look like a Lugia, do I?" muttered Ash.

At that moment, Adele came down with a huge sheaf of parchment. Tobias showed Ash the top sheet, which had deteriorated so badly that the print was unreadable.

"That's not a problem." Tobias said. These records stretch back for centuries. All we need is the records for the generations stretching back six generations or more." He found a particular entry, featuring the name of some woman, with a line connecting her to a printed Lugia-shape. "Your great-great-great-great grandmother." Tobias told him. He followed the lines down with his fingers, showing Ash great uncles, aunts, grandparents, until he reached a familiar name. "Delia Ketchum." He read. It was connected by a line-like his four times great grandmother-to a print of a Lugia. Descending from this was a line leading to his own name. He followed the line leading to his wife, and was surprised to see that she was connected by a straight line to another bunch of descendants. Tobias nodded as Ash stared at him. "Follow the lines up." He said. Ash did, and got a shock.

"We're related?" he asked. Tobias nodded.

"Yes. Very distantly, of course. She, like your mother, is a sixth-generation Sea-Touched." Ash looked at Tobias, then stood up suddenly.

"No way! He'd better not dare! He's had my mother and he's not having my wife too!"

"He doesn't need to, don't you worry, she has you, and his line in your blood is more than strong enough. As long as you have some offspring-and you have one son already-the need will not arise for another six generations. In fact, as your wife is Sea-Touched, the Lugia part of your bloodline may stay strong a little longer."

"How do I know that these are accurate, or true?" Ash asked. "You said you knew someone who could give me irrefutable proof. I want it. Take me to them!"

Adele and Tobias exchanged a look that Ash couldn't read, and then Tobias nodded.

"You can, as I recall, swim?" Tobias said. Ash nodded.

"But-why?" he asked. "What has that got to do with anything?"

"Because the only one who can give you irrefutable proof lives in the sea." Tobias told him.

Ash took a whole two seconds to work it out. "You mean-Lugia has this proof?" Tobias nodded.

"Then what are we waiting for? Maybe I can see Lu again." Ash said, referring to the young offspring of the two Shamouti Lugias.

"Your little half-brother." said Tobias. Ash's mouth hardened.

"We'll see." He said sceptically.

"This may take some time, he warned me." Tobias said, handing Ash a loose set of shorts. "Wear these, they'll serve as trunks.

They walked down to the shore, and Tobias took out two items-a glowing silver feather on a necklace, and a flute similar to the one Melody had. Tobias put the necklace on, and began playing a slow version of the Lugia song tune that Melody had played. At first, nothing seemed to happen, but then the dark waters ahead of them parted, and the head of a Lugia, on the end of a long neck emerged. Without even giving Ash or Tobias a chance to speak, Lugia dropped his head down, grabbed the front of Ash's shorts gently but firmly in his mouth, and pulled Ash under the waves before he could even cry out. Tobias and Adele, as surprised as anyone, waited to see if Ash would resurface, but all that floated up was the shorts.

Tobias and Adele exchanged a look, and Tobias said "It's in the wings of the Guardian now, and I know the Guardian will not harm him. We should go home."

"I hope his family will see him again soon." Adele said. "After all, Lugias live for centuries. Who knows how long "some time" is to a Guardian?"


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two 

The Change.

Ash had been surprised and not a little alarmed when Lugia had dragged the shorts off with a jerk of his head and then used a wing to scoop Ash close to his side.

** Save your air and speak like this. ** Lugia thinkspoke into Ash's head.

** What are you doing? Why did you take off the trunks? ** Ash asked.

** They will not be needed and would only hinder you. ** Lugia stated. ** The proof you seek will require a lot of swimming. **

** Can we surface for air? I'm running out! ** Ash said. Lugia immediately took him to the surface, and as he took a breath, he couldn't tell how far out they were, but he couldn't hear the sound of waves breaking on the shore.

** Close your eyes and just relax. ** Lugia said. ** I want you to imagine that you are like me. Feel the sea flowing over your back and tail. There is only one way to prove what I say and that is to show you an ability that you only have by virtue of my blood in your veins. Take a deep breath now, we are going back underwater. For this to work, you must be close to me and fully immersed. **

Impatiently, Ash complied. He didn't know what all this strange mumbo-jumbo meant, but if it meant he got his proof, he'd go along with it. Closing his eyes, he tried to feel the flow of the sea, imagine he had a tail and feel it, move it, feel the sea flowing over it. ** Listen carefully and see if you can hear the sea singing. Concentrate on sensing the balance of Fire, Ice, and Lightning, the harmony of the world. **

** I thought that was your job. ** Ash said.

** It is, but you should be able to sense it too. Quiet, and listen, and feel. **Lugia had such a tone of authority in his voice that Ash kept his eyes closed, and concentrated on feeling and listening for the things that Lugia told him to.

After a while, Ash could indeed hear that the sea was singing. It was odd, now that he knew it was there, that he had never heard it before. It was beautiful! He could also, as Lugia had said he would, sense the intertwined and harmonic weave of the energies of Fire, Ice, and Lightning. He Opened his eyes, and was surprised to find that his eyesight had changed. Usually his underwateer sight was all blurry, but he could see clearly, looking at the Shellders and Chinchou around and below him. He guessed that the cleanliness and clarity of the waters around Shamouti had to be the reason.

** We should surface for a breath now. ** Lugia said. Ash was surprised to find hew wasn't having trouble holding his breath, and tried to think back to how long he'd been underwater. Bewildered, he was sure it was more than a few minutes.

As Lugia rose, he abruptly lifted his wing, and Ash found himself unsupported. Startled, he used his arms to strike for the surface, felt his feet push against the water too, and saw a pair of white wings, like Lugia's, but smaller, one either side of him.

** Lu? Is that you ? ** he asked, truing to peer down below him. He got an impression of a blue and white chest and large white feet before he accidentally somersaulted. Striking for the surface again, feeling disorientated, his head broke the surface and he breathed out the old stale air and took in fresh. He realised he couldn't see the big Lugia again, but those smaller white wings, either side of him, were there again.

"Lugia?" he called out audibly, or at least that's what he meant to say, but what came out was a higher version of a Lugia cry. An answering call came from ahead, and Ash struck out for it, soon hearing surf on sand and feeling the sand under his feet. He staggered up the beach, feeling very heavy after his long swim. His arms felt very heavy, and he realised with alarm that his hands were dragging along the beach, and hurriedly pulled them up. As he made his way up the beach, he could feel the sand sticking uncomfortably to his feet and tail, and twitched irritably.

** Wait a minute! ** Ash stopped abruptly.

** Tail? **

** I don't HAVE a tail! **

The thing is, he could _feel_ it! He bent around, and when he saw his big white body, with back-plates sprouting from it, with the white tail with two blue feathers sprouting from near the end, everything he'd felt and heard slotted into place.

He didn't understand how, but somehow, he had become a Lugia.

Yes, it is something that you, with my blood in you, can do with my help. You have two bloods running in your veins, and as part Legendary, you have the ability to switch between the two forms, but at first only with my help. There is at first a limit on how soon you can change back to the other. I am afraid that you will not be able to change back to your human form until you have eaten and regained your strength for about a week. 

** A week? ** Ash asked. ** But what about my family? **

You can go visit them, but I would not give away your true identity just yet. It might spook them too much, but surely your son would love to meet us? Lu

** I guess he would, at that. **Ash said. He was terribly tired, and starving hungry, but it seemed Lugia had anticipated him, and caught him some fish. Ash forced down his human revulsion, for his new Lugia instincts were telling him that the slippery shiny thing was delicious. Closing his eyes, he accepted it, and was gratified to find that it helped assuage the hunger in his stomach. Lugia passed him another, and Ash ate it, then noticed that there was a pile of fish on the shore.

** The islanders were happy to leave this here for us. **Lugia said**. I asked Tobias to leave it available. ** Ash allowed his hunger to guide him, and was soon feeling full and happy, but extremely tired. He found his instincts were guiding him and he was not worried so much about his family anymore. He could tell them, using his new Lugia telepathy, that he was safe without letting them know that they were talking to Ash-as-a-Lugia. He gave a happy little sigh that came out as a small Lugia-ish cry.

** Now you must rest. We will be safe enough here, the islanders will not allow us to come to harm. ** Ash turned his head, and noticed a lit window with a silhouette in it. Ash smiled inwardly, He was a happy little Lugia with a belly full of fish, and he was exhausted.

Taking his cue from big Lugia he curled up on the shore and was soon asleep. Big Lugia moved to lie next to him, lay his head by Ash's, and soon slept as well.


End file.
